Oats and Grace

Warm weather here I come!

2009-02-05T08:35:00.006-05:00

Today I had 4 classes before I was off to Arizona! I am going to visit my best friend who moved there when I was a freshman. We talk on the phone everyday and try to visit eachother every other month. She is still my best friend! I am SO excited to get out of the cold weather, even if it is just for 5 days. The weather forcast for Tucson, Arizona says its about 80 degrees there today! Whoo Hoo!!

I had such an easy time waking up this morning, because I was looking forward to my trip (and breakfast too)! I knew I probably wouldn't get a chance to eat lunch until I was settled in the airport (and I have no idea how long that might take) so I figured an oatmeal breakfast would be a good choice to tie me over. I had a de-li-cious bowl of oats this morning!

My bowl consisted of the following:
-1 packet plain instant oatmeal
-2/3 cup of water
-a handful of raspberries
-tbsp of shredded coconut
-a spoonful of peanut butter

It was delicious! Around 10:15 I was in Spanish class. I had made cookies for my class last night. I made 48 cookies. 24 chocolate chip and 24 sugar cookies with sprinkles. I treated myself to a sugar cookie, and I also had a bottle of Diet Snapple I snagged from the school store because I was thirsty as could be!
Here's a look at the cookies-

Now I am off to the airport. See you for a high-flying lunch! (Ok, that was corny)

Food, Research Papers, Hospitals

2009-01-28T08:40:00.004-05:00

Yesterday after breakfast I proceeded to work on my research paper. I got A LOT of notes and research done, as well as the first two pages written. It felt so good to actually get something done so I can at least say that I've started it. Doesn't it feel better when you don't fully procrastinate? =)

While I was working on my paper I was getting a hankering for a treat I made. It you remember back to Christmas time I made a Black Forest Trifle (brownie pieces, lite cherry pie topping, cool whip). Well everyone fell in love with it at Christmas including me. The leftovers lasted FOREVER and I snacked on them for a good two weeks. Well the other day I decided I wanted to recreate a smaller version of this fab dessert. I halved the recipe and made a mini version for me to have as a dessert for the week. Now where I am going with this is- I had a few bites mid morning. I know, SO BAD! But it was delish and totally worth it.

For lunch I had just heated up some leftover Amy's Chunky Vegetable soup and made a seafood salad wrap when my mom's friend called and asked us to meet her at Cosi for lunch. I packed up my meal and put it in the refrigerator and we headed out. At Cosi I had my favorite sandwich, a Fire-Roasted Veggie warmed on Whole Grain with baby carrots. I was a little chilly so I had green tea to drink. It was a good lunch and we were surrounded by two good friends!

After lunch my mom decided a Dunkin Donuts stop was completely necessary. At DD I treated myself to a small coffee with skim milk and Splenda. I think this is my new favorite way to drink coffee!

For the rest of the afternoon I did some homework and relaxed until about 5PM when we got a call from my aunt who works at the nursing home where my grandmother is. My grandmother has water on the brain and severe dementia, and she was doing really scarily bad all of a sudden. My aunt called her PCP who got her directly admitted to Hartford Hospital. My family quickly rummaged through the fridge to grab dinner. I had my meal from lunch that I didn't get to eat.

Amy's Chunky Vegetable soup and a seafood salad wrap.

Contents of the wrap:

-1 Joseph's Flax Oat Bran and Whole Wheat Tortilla Wrap

-A large scoop of premade seafood salad from Shaw's

-baby spinach

-sliced onion

This was delicious and filled me right up. After dinner I took a few more yummy bites of trifle for dessert. Shhh!

I had a snack when I got back from the hospital, but I was tired and forgot to photograph it- sorry! I had a Yoplait Light Thick & Creamy (my fav yogurt) with a (new for me) bar. I tried the Kashi Crunchy! Chocolate Caramel bar.

Serving Size: 1 bar (45g)

Calories: 150

Calories from fat: 25

Total Fat: 3g

Saturated Fat: 2g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 220mg

Total Carbohydrate: 28g

Dietary Fiber: 6g

Soluble Fiber: 1g

Insoluble Fiber: 5g

Sugars: 14g

Protein: 8g

At the first bite I didn't really like the bar much. But as I kept eating it I grew to appreciate it. I didn't love it by any means, but I'd eat it again.

After I had my snack I felt much better, and hit the hay for some much needed rest! This morning I was running a little late so I didn't get a picture of breakfast. But I had a bowl of Quaker Oats with some DaVinci Sugar Free Vanilla syrup mixed in, along with a mini box of raisins and a scoop of pb. Yum!

Wow! It's been forever!

2009-01-27T10:08:00.002-05:00

It's been forever since I last blogged! I woke up this morning thinking about how much I wanted to get a post in! I really do miss blogging my eats everyday, but at the same time I think it has been really good for me this past month not to expend so much energy on my food. I think I am going to continue on this path, while maybe posting every once in a while.

I took a "well day" off of school so I could work on a HUGE history research paper I haven't started. I woke up at about 9:15. I was a little bit hungry, nothing major. I wanted something carby and sweet and I knew exactly what was calling my name. A cinnamon bun with streusel topping! I picked these up when we went to Shaw's yesterday. They just looked way too yummy. These are surprisingly not too bad for you. They clock in at around 210 calories and 6 grams of fat. Not bad for a morning breakfast splurge!

Quite the way to start the morning!

annoucement!

2008-12-29T11:10:00.000-05:00

I will be taking a week long break. My friend is coming to visit and I would like to spend some time and focus on her because I really never see her. I will be back after school starts!

I'm a horrible blogger

2008-12-27T15:58:00.006-05:00

With all the company here I have been very picture-shy and haven't taken any photos of my eats! I'll still give a quick recap of yesterday and today, and I promise to get back in full-gear ASAP.

For breakfast yrdayeste morning my dad and grandfather went out to Bagels Plus to grab what ended up being an assortment of thirteen bagels for a house of 6 people! Funny, because we ended up eating less than half of them! Everyone only ate about 1/2-3/4 of a bagel. Only 2 people ate a full one. I had a half of a plain bagel with some fat free cream cheese and a nice bunch of grapes. I also enjoyed my morning jasmine green tea with breakfast.

For lunch I decided I needed to sneak away from company and met my friend, Katie, down at Cosi for lunch. I got a Bombay Chicken Light Salad with Etruscan Whole Grain bread. I ate pretty much my whole salad and about 1/2 of my bread. I just might have ordered a bottle of diet coke too =)

Around 3:30 or so in the afternoon I decided I was really hungry. I had a slice of rye bread with warmed kapusta and a tomato slice on top. Perfect!

I ended up going to the movies with my dad last night. We were going to go to dinner, but we really weren't that hungry so we decided that movie theater junk would be enough. We saw Marley and Me. It was so adorable! I cried of course, but I loved the movie. I had gotten the kids pack popcorn, which came with a fun size candy and a soda. I had a choice between Skittles and M&Ms. I chose M&Ms and a Diet Coke for my drink. (I also snuck a water in from home). This was such a yummy treat- something I really rarely have.

When I got home I was actually starving though since I didn't have a full dinner so I tried out my new panini maker! I made a nutella-banana panini with about a tbsp of nutella and 1/2 a smashed banana. Grilled to perfection and sprinkled with powdered sugar-

I also had a yogurt.

I felt much better after this. I ended up snacking on a Honey Nut Cherrios Milk & Cereal bar around midnight or so while I was up watching movies and such. Overall, I felt like it was a pretty good day and very intuitive.

I realized this evening that the past few days have been filled with food splurges. AKA I have been eating lots of treats I don't normally eat. I decided that it is the holidays and that I am going to enjoy myself. When I go back to school I will probably naturally go back to eating healthier but for now I am really enjoying myself. On that note, my day did start off fairly healthy today. I had my favorite Sunday breakfast of a egg-in-toast-hole. In other words, an egg fried in a slice of bread with a slice of Veggie Pepperjack cheese melted on top. I enjoyed this with a Cranbran Vitatop and a mug of jasmine green tea.

My mom and I ended up leaving the house around noon to go visit my grandmother at the rehab center and take her out for the day. On the way I had some diet iced green tea. By the time we got there, got her up and going, and made our way to the car it was about 2PM. I was so hungry by this point, and we had to figure out what we were going to do for lunch. We found a Friendly's, so we pulled on over! Here goes my splurges for the day....

I ordered from the kids menu, because I am just too cool. I ordered the mac and cheese and a side of mixed vegetables. I ate all the veggies and about half the mac and cheese. When it was time for dessert I decided it was really time for a treat. I flat out made the decision that I really want to let go of my ED for good, which entails doing normal things like having ice cream at Friendly's. I tried the Birthday Cake Friend-Z. This was vanilla soft serve swirled with frosting, pound cake, and sprinkles. AHHH IT WAS DELICIOUS! Not only and I so proud of myself for ordered a dessert and eating it, I enjoyed it immensely!

We ended up taking my grandmother to Wal-Mart after lunch to do a little shopping and to just get out a little considering she's been cooped up. That went fine, but was a bit of a tedious process since she can barley walk.

We finally got home around 6:45PM and were exhausted! I relaxed on the couch while catching up on blogs for a while and helped my mom do her puzzle. Around 8:30 we decided we were finally hungry again. We whipped out all the Christmas leftovers and made a plate. I had a small plate filled with butternut squash, turkey, cranberry sauce, and a slice of rye bread with warmed kapusta and tomato. YUM!!

I will probably have a snack later, probably something easy like a yogurt/granola bar or something. Night everyone!

the craziness never ends!!

2008-12-26T16:29:00.008-05:00

So 30 people finally leave our house last night, just in time for house guest this morning! Phew! My grandparents came in from Philly this morning to stay with us the night.

This morning I got up about 9AM and took a nice hot shower. I was happily surprised to find a nice loaf of Raisin Babka sitting on the counter top. My aunt brings Babka every Christmas (we're a big Polish family), and I always look forward to enjoying a slice. This morning I chose to have some for breakfast. I had a slice of Babka toasted with some Brummel and Brown margarine on top. I also had some cottage cheese, grapes, and jasmine green tea on the side.

Healthy and delicious!!

After breakfast, my mom, sister, and I went out to run some errands. We went to the car wash, Wal-Mart, the grocery store, Victoria's Secret, and the liquor store. We had to get a bottle of wine for my grandfather's birthday ad PJs for my grandma's birthday. We went to Wal-Mart for some fabric for my sewing machine and propane for my dad, and the grocery store for lunch fixings. We got bread, rolls, roast beef, and chips for lunch. I also grabbed some Yoplait and YO Crunch yogurts as well as some more quick, frozen meals for my sister and I while we were there.

When we arrived home my grandparents pulled in the driveway on cue. We gave our hugs, and then opened our Christmas presents. They got me a beautiful new Cole Haan bag. It's a roll bag, and it's just GORGEOUS. I love it! Around 1:15-1:30 or so, my dad and I started making some turkey salad with the leftover turkey from yesterday. We chopped up turkey, celery, and onions and added some Kraft Light Mayo. After it was done, everyone started assembling sandwiches. Now my lunch today was a huge treat for me. Way back when I was a little girl my great great aunt used to make something called Kapusta. It is a Polish dish made of sauerkraut and yellow peas. Ever since I was a toddler I LOVED it! My aunt used to make it for me every year on my birthday and Christmas, but since she passed I barely ever get it. Her daughter surprised me with a batch yesterday! I was beyond excited. It is traditional to eat it with rye bread, so I picked up some light rye at BigY when we were there. Now that we have that cleared up, my lunch consisted of a slice of rye spread with warm Kapusta and tomato slices. I also had a half of a turkey salad sandwich on light oatmeal bread, and a diet coke. It was a delicious make-your-own sandwich kind of lunch!!

After lunch my grandmother helped me figure out my new sewing machine, and I spent a few hours trying to cut out patterns while getting frustrated with fabrics. Around 4PM I went downstairs to grab a golden delicious apple to snack on, and the headed back up to struggle some more!

Something weird happened around 5:30- I BECAME STARVING. Insatiably starving. Everyone was snacking on veggies/dip and wine, so I had a handful of baby carrots and some celery with about 2 cherry tomatoes. I was still hungry and we weren't having dinner until 7-7:30 so I had a new yogurt, a YO Crunch Oreo.

It was delicious and I felt much better afterwards. We sat around, talked, and laughed until about 6:45, when we finally left the house for dinner. We went to the country club. We belong to the Golf Club of Avon.

We started off our meal with some appetizers. We ordered the Thai Shrimp Sizzle. The description was: Tender Gulf Shrimp Sizzled with Thai Chili Paste and Coconut Milk served with Sticky Rice. I had one shrimp off the plate, and oh my god I cannot describe how amazing the flavor was! They offer an entree sized portion of this, and I think I might get it next time! We also ordered the fried calamari. It was very different from any other calamari I've ever had (I had 2 small bites) but the flavor was so good and it actually might have been some of my favorite calamari ever. The breading was light and the spices were right on.

I ordered the Sea Bass special for my dinner, as did my grandmother, mom, and my mom's friend. Our meal came with a salad that happened to be one of the most interesting salads i've had in a long time. It was served with a whole pear, strawberries, and slivered almonds over arugula with a strawberry vinaigrette (I got on the side). I really enjoyed this salad.

The main meal was, obviously, sea bass. It was presented over a sweet potato mash with some mixed vegetables and a Blood Orange Citrus Jus. All four of us who ordered this loved it. It was phenomenal!

After dinner we had coffee. I ordered a coconut rice pudding but didn't like it so my grandma and mom split it. Everyone else got hot fudge sundaes. I was a little bummed about the dessert, but it worked out. We had to pick up my sister from a movie. She hadn't eaten dinner and wanted to stop at McDonalds. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to snag an ice cream cone. Mine looked a little something like this-

Now I am just relaxing in my room, catching up on blogs, and chatting with friends. Hopefully tomorrow I will have some more pictures of my eats. Night everyone!

Frosty the snowman

2008-12-24T18:22:00.014-05:00

Is my all-time favorite Christmas movie that I watched today. I love Frosty!

I went grocery shopping with my mom all morning. It literally took us forever. We finally got home around 1:15, $400 and 2 grocery stores later. It was insane. When we got home we organized the refrigerator and freezer while unpacking the groceries. That took a while in itself. When we were at the grocery store, I picked up a premade sandwich that I could eat fast. I heated up some Campbells Light Italian Style Vegetable Soup and had a bowl of that with 1/2 of the very large sandwich. It was yet another soup/sandwich day! What can I say? Soup and sandwich is favorite lunch combo. Seriously, I could eat it everyday!

The sandwich I got was ciabatta bread with mozzarella, spinach, roasted red peppers, and a pesto sauce. It was literally amazing and I would definitely buy it again if I needed something quick (or even if I didn't).

And lunch all together with a diet satan....

This was a lot of liquid by the way, my tummy was bloated afterwards!

After lunch I relaxed, talked to some friends, wrapped some presents, and baked. I made a black forest trifle, chocolate chip cookies, and some cupcakes. I took pictures of all the goodies. The cupcake tray picture was hard to decipher, so I took a picture of one cupcake instead.

I made a plate of these babies--

I also made a plate of Christmas chocolate chip cookies--

And a black forest trifle. Made with brownie pieces, whipped topping, cherry pie filling, and shaved chocolate--

I actually made the cupcakes with a can of cranberry seltzer instead of eggs and oil. I always do this and nobody can ever tell! While making these I snacked on this plate of goodies-

A chocolate Vitamuffin and a chocolate covered donette. I also had a mug of black hazelnut coffee.

Around 6pm we all decided we were famished. We had the Christmas Eve dinner of champions- FROZEN PIZZA. Wow. We're so lame. We had a Primo Chicken Caesar pizza, a Kashi Thin Crust Roasted Vegetable pizza, and my dad had an individual Red Baron French Bread pizza. I had 2 slices (about 1/4 of the pie) of the Kashi Roasted Vegetable. It was definitely a dinner on the light side, but I'll have a bigger night snack later.

My mom and I both fell in love with this. It was actually delicious! I also indulged in an extra half of a Diet Coke after dinner because, well, it's Christmas Eve and I deserve it! There was also the other dozen of my cupcakes cooling that had not yet been decorated. I snuck one, frosted it and put some festive sprinkles on top. Perfect Christmas Eve dessert!

After eating my cupcake I helped my dad make make-ahead mashed potatoes, an apple pie, and a pumpkin pie. I ended up being starving later from my small dinner, so I has a pouch of Annie's Easy Mac mixed with broccoli and peppers. This definitely fixed my hunger. A little later on I had a yogurt too. I didn't take a picture of these two snacks because I figured you know what they look like.

We're getting up early at 7 AM so I am off to bed! There will probably be no post or pics tomorrow due to craziness. Merry Christmas!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2008-12-24T09:57:00.004-05:00

One more day everyone!

I woke up at 8:30 again this morning, even after going to bed at 1AM. I used to be able to sleep until 2 in the afternoon, but now I can't seem to sleep past 8:30! I suppose that's a good thing.

When I woke up I took a nice shower, got dressed, fed the dogs, watched the Today show, made a grocery shopping list, made breakfast...should I keep going? I accomplished a lot in an hour and a half!

Breakfast was quick, simple, healthy, and yummy. I had a Thomas' Light English Muffin toasted and topped with PB and J. I had never had a PB and J on an english muffin before, but I really like how everything gets all melty and gooey.

So good! I also had some cottage cheese with cinnamon and apple slices on the side. To drink I enjoyed my jasmine green tea sweetened with Stevia.

Overall, I am feeling satisfied- which is great for me! I am now going to go finish making the shopping list for my mom while relaxing and watching the Today show.

P.S. Look what I had last night =)

another no picture post =(

2008-12-23T21:55:00.003-05:00

I was out for the entire night. My mom and I left the house at 5pm and just got home not too long ago. Before we left I snacked on a golden delicious apple, which truly was delicious =).

When we got to the mall we shopped around Nordstroms and bought some clothes for my dad. Next we stopped at California Pizza Kitchen for dinner and a drink (for my mom). We split their Tricolor Pizza Salad, something both my mom and I looooveee. It was delicious! I had 2 slices with a tall glass of lemon water. Here is a stand-in picture of the pizza.

This is the menu description of this pie:

Caramelized Parmesan pizza crust topped with chilled arugula, baby red leaf lettuce, radicchio, diced tomatoes, and shaved Parmesan cheese with our homemade Dijon balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Seriously, try this. It's different and really yummy.

After dinner we did LOADS more shopping. About 8pm or so we headed out. On the way home we made a few more stops. We went to Stonewall Kitchen, GAP Body, Walgreens, and Dick's Sporting Goods. Phew! I am wippppped out!

When I got home my stomach was rumbling a bit so I had a late dessert of a banana baby. I haven't had snack yet, I think I am going to wait an hour or so until I am a little hungrier. I am thinking a Pop Tart is in my near future though. Maybe balanced out with a yogurt? I'm so predictable! What is it with me and Pop Tarts lately???!!!???

Guess you'll have to wait until morning to see if I redeemed myself with a strawberry frosted!

Fa la la la la

2008-12-23T14:27:00.004-05:00

I really can't wait for Christmas if you can't tell!

I went to my appointment, and it went well. My mom bought my dad some really expensive dress shirts and ties while I was in my appointment. Afterwards, it was about 1:15 and we headed home. We were hungry so we stopped at Fabiola's to grab a take-out lunch. By the time we actually got home it was about 2pm, and I sat right down to my meal.

We split the special- a "Paris Turkey Wrap". This consisted of a whole wheat wrap stuffed with turkey, brie, walnuts, cranberries, lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard.

It was phenomenal! I finished off my half and left only a tiny bit of bread. I also had a cup of the Chicken Rice Soup, which was very good but pretty salty.

To drink I treated myself to a Diet Dr. Pepper.

This lunch was overall, very tasty!

Tonight my mom, sister, and I are going to the mall AGAIN to finish off our Christmas shopping for good!

Calci-YUMMM

2008-12-23T09:39:00.004-05:00

I couldn't help myself, sorry! I just realized mid-eating that my breakfast was chocked full of Calcium! I went the easy route this morning and followed my mom. My mother has a Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut Almond bar every single morning and she has for years now. A bar sounded yummy and easy this morning. I chose a Honey Nut Cherrios Milk and Cereal bar. I knew I needed more than just that to keep me going, so I also included a dessert cup full of cottage cheese and blackberries into my breakfast.

As I have always been doing lately, I had my Jasmine Green Tea with Stevia to drink.

There is 25% DV Calcium in the bar and 15% DV Calcium in the cottage cheese. Thats 40% DV Calcium in one measly meal! I'm laughing about this because back in my ED days I had a serious problem with calcium. While most eating disordered girls don't get enough Calcium in their diets, I was getting too much. I became Hypercalcemic. I was pretty much afraid of all food that weren't dairy- it was weird! All I would eat was sugar free puddings, sugar free ice cream, diet hot chocolate, string cheese, broccoli, yogurts, and chocolate vita muffins. Mind you, I ate some other things too but all those dairy products were the basis of my diet. Now I am much happier eating balanced, and I am no longer having calcium issues. In fact, now Calcium is a healthy thing!

I have an appointment near Whole Foods today so hopefully I will be able to make a stop in?

3 more days!

2008-12-22T22:24:00.007-05:00

I can't wait- 3 more days till Christmas!!

Today was overall, a good day. I spent some time with the momma, then met some friends from my old school I haven't seen in a while. Mom and I ended up leaving Panera around 12:15 because they said our internet time was up (they only give you 30 mins free during lunch hours). We went to the bank so I could make a deposit in my checking account and so my mom could both cash some checks and take out some cash for christmas presents. In the bank parking lot we assembled the Christmas present that we were going to mail to my cousins. We gave all 5 of the $20 in a little gift card holder, and their parents $50 each. Then we went to the post office to mail the package. After that, my mom begged me to go to Cosi again! I tell you, my mother is obsessed with Cosi. She loves it (as do I)!

I decided to try something else besides my Fire-Roasted Veggie today. I just wasn't in the mood to have that again. Today, I got a TBM Light on Etruscan Whole Grain with baby carrots and a Diet Coke (unphotographed, too embarrassed!) I ate my whole sandwich, and loved it! I didn't eat any of the carrots though, I just wasn't hungry for them.

When I got home from lunch I waited for my friends, whom arrived 5 mins after I got home. We went to Westfarms Mall to spend some time together/get some shopping done. I haven't seen my friend Zoe in a while, and it was good to see her. Hopefully I am going to see them again during this break. We were at the mall pretty much all afternoon!

When I got home I snacked on a new find to go along with my new found love, Go-Tarts! Pop Tarts in bar form. This combines my two favorite things- Pop Tarts and bars!

I had a Cinnamon Brown Sugar Go-Tart and it was oh so delicious and just the perfect size for a snack.

Dinner was on my own (I have a love/hate relationship with on-my-own nights) because my parents were at my grandmothers (their hiding spot?) wrapping our Christmas gifts and my sister was at Chamber Singers. I couldn't decide what I wanted, until I finally decided on the perfect thing, just what I was in the mood for. I had a serving of Annie's Organic Macaroni and Cheese with some broccoli, peppers, and onion mixed in. On the side I had a Al Fresco Chicken Breakfast Sausage link. These don't have to be just for breakfast!

This dinner was so yummy, quick, and satisfying.

For dessert I had an ice cream bar.

This is basically just a bar of ice cream with a thin chocolate shell. I wanted something cold and sweet- this hit the spot!

When my parents came home we had some relaxing TV time until now, when I came downstairs and started blogging. I just finished my snack, which was a medium sized banana spread with Peter Pan Whipped Creamy Peanut Butter and a Yoplait Light.

This was so good! I love PB and banana! Now I am just going to catch up on some AIM conversations, check my email, and watch some Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Night!

Another christmas in the trenches...

2008-12-22T10:52:00.006-05:00

Just a quote from my all-time favorite Christmas movie- Home Alone 2. I know, I'm weird! Turns out I might just have one of those Christmas' myself. Normally we host a big family Christmas party/dinner on Christmas day. We've done it every year since I was little. This year we have cancelled our party, due to the stress around my grandmother being in the hospital. It's all been too crazy lately, and nobody is up to it. We decided instead we will wait until she gets out, and have a party then.

Anyways, on to the eats!!

First I will give you this morning, and then yesterday. This morning I actually had the same breakfast as yesterday because I loved it so much! When I was little my mom always used to make this for me and my sister on Sunday mornings. You take a piece of bread, cut a whole in the middle, and then fry an egg in the whole. Once you flip the bread/egg, you add cheese on top and let it melt. YUM!! I always fry up the cut out part of the toast and dip that into the egg. My dad, sister, and I made these yesterday morning and I couldn't help but indulge again this morning! I had my egg-holey-bread (whatever you want to call it) with a CranBran Vitatop and some Jasmine Green Tea. (P.S. I love Vitatops. The top of the muffin is my favorite part!)

Here's a quick summary of yesterday. Breakfast was the same as today as you know. After breakfast my mom and I went to get pedicures at our favorite place. After you pedicure, they literally live you a 20-30 min chair massage for free! It's so amazing. They take care of every single part of your body that is tense. After our 2 hour long pedicure, we stopped in Verizon so they could fix the internet on my phone. Also, while we were there we got memory cards. Now my Blackberry holds more pics! YAY!

After we did all this I was STARVING! We decided to stop by Cosi for a quick sandwich. I didn't take a picture, but I had my favorite- a warmed Fire-Roasted Veggie on Etruscan Whole Grain with baby carrots and a Diet Coke. I was going to have a TBM (my other fav) but I decided I was cold and I wanted a nice warm, cheesy sandwich. I love my Fire-Roasted Veggie!!

After lunch we stopped and the grocery store quick and then we went home and relaxed because we were so wiped out from our pedicures! At the grocery store I bought the ingredients to make Turkey Chili. That is what we had for dinner (posted all in the last post). I made it in the Croc Pot and let it simmer for a while. While I was waiting for dinner I got a little hungry so I had a Honey Nut Cherrios Milk and Cereal Bar and an apple. I lovvvve these bars. Although probably not the best choice, they are chocked filled with vitamins and have 25% DV of Calcium. I'll take it!

Dinner was around 7:00 pm. Chili of course I topped my bowl with a dollop of guacamole and light sour cream. I also had a square of cornbread. YUM!

My after dinner dessert was a banana baby of course (unphotographed). I am seriously obsessed with these. You MUST MUST MUST try them!!

After dinner and dessert we had some family TV time. Not an uncommon thing in our household. Around 10 pm or so I made my way into the basement (snack in hand) to watch whatever my little heart desired and relax alone. I like my alone time. I indulged myself for my snack, and had a pop tart and a yogurt.

I am a poptart fanatic. I lovvvee them. SInce they're so high in cals, I used to avoid them at all costs. But now I figured it won't kill me to eat them in moderation, right? I had a strawberry frosted and a Yoplait Light. After eating this I got real tired, and hit the hay!

That's it for yesterday and this morning. I am sitting in Panera Bread right now with my mom. We like to come here and sit and do our work (of course I am work free until January 5th) because it is a change of scenery. We will probably end up having lunch here, and then I am going to the mall with some friends from my old school.

Thank god the snow has finally come to a halt!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2008-12-21T18:41:00.010-05:00

We got wayyyy over a foot of snow here. Look at my back deck- its just covered in the white stuff!

I actually despise snow and everything that goes along with it (except christmas). However, this is the first major snow storm of the year so I was a little excited about it. It was a good excuse to cuddle up in front of the fire with a nice mug of hot chocolate this weekend!!

I've missed blogging a little bit, and I am going to try my hardest to post as much as I can. I have managed to take some pictures of a few different eats from the time I was gone, not much but something!!

Shrimp, veggies, and pepperjack cheese grilled to perfection on an Arnolds Multigran Sandwich Thin (I am now obsessed with these, so flavorful!)

Soup and sandwich dinner combo

The sandwich- smoked turkey, laughing cow, lettuce, and tomato on an Arnolds Multigran Sandwich Thin

Cornbread Box and Ready-to-be-cooked!

Pot of turkey chili

My serving of chili and cornbread

I promise I will blog later about today (by the way, chili was tonight). Thanks for stopping by!

sick...

2008-12-15T13:22:00.002-05:00

Of course, being home sick I haven't taken any pictures YET AGAIN. Sorry! My stomach wasn't feeling too great this morning, so I had some Cream of Wheat and a banana. Inside my bowl of Cream of Wheat I had some Brummel and Brown and Splenda. This breakfast made me feel much better, and was really soft.

I actually went on the treadmill for just a mile around 10:30. I was thinking "what would make me feel better?". And a run sounded like what I needed. It felt great, as did my shower afterwards.

Until lunchtime I worked on my English essay. About 20 minutes ago my mom and I rummaged through dinner leftovers for lunch. I took the Mango Caprese salad and made a sandwich out of it with an Arnolds Sandwich Thin and some Hellman's Honey Mustard. YUM! I also had about 5 thick eggplant fries and an apple.

Now I am going to work on my essay some more!

I'm so proud (and satisfied!)

2008-12-14T20:42:00.003-05:00

I am so proud of myself and my eating choices this weekend. My intuitive has been going so well! I have been going non-stop though, so I really haven't taken any pictures of my food. I still explain my eats though!

Dinner last night we ordered from Avon Master Pizza because I convinced my parents that they had to try it. They had eaten some Wendy's while christmas shopping at 3:30, so they weren't too hungry by dinnertime but I convinced them that a. by the time the food came they'd be a little hungry and b. it was delicious! My dad just wanted some fried mozzarella sticks, and my mom tried the turkey wrap with fries. I had my new obsession- turkey gyro with greek salad. SO GOOD! Plus, it fueled me through winter formal, which is a huge plus. Formal was fun! I ended up feeling really sick towards the end, so I didn't sleep over school. Here are some pics of the night though...

When I came home from formal it was about 11pm. I had a stomach ache so I laid down for a little while. I started to get hungry around 11:30. I didn't want to hurt my stomach though. My mom said to try having a yogurt, because that'd be light on the tummy. I ended up having a Deep Chocolate Vitamuffin and a Yoplait Light. This was perfect and wasn't too harsh at all. Afterwards I went to bed.

This morning I woke up feeling slightly better, but got worse as the day went on. I started my day with a bowl of Kashi Puffed cereal with 1% milk and banana slices. I also had a slice of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal bread toasted with Smuckers Strawberry Sugar Free. To finish up I ate the remainder of my banana plain. It was a pretty good breakfast.

For lunch my mom heated up leftover calzone that my sister and her friend ordered last night. They got a large, so there was ALOT of leftovers. My mom, my dad, and I each sat down to a nice slice with a side of marinara.

After lunch my mom and I left to go visit my grandmother at the hospital. What a good time huh? We stayed from about 3:30-5:30, the left. On the way home we did a quick grocery shop and then picked up dinner from a local place called Joes Pizza. Funny though, because we've never ever eaten their pizza. My dad and sister claim they have the best cheeseburgers around, so naturally that's what they ordered. My dad opted to have sauteed onions and mushrooms on his, and my sister stuck with the classic lettuce, tomato, onion. Both of them had lots of ketchup! My mom and I split a chicken caesar wrap. I ate everything on the inside and left a good amount of bread. I also had a small serving of their mango caprese salad on the side (mango, mozzarella, spinach). My whole family split an order of their eggplant fries. We are all obsessed with these and they are the main reason we go to Joes!

Overall, I was really proud of myself and my ability to branch out and eat foods that I didn't prepare or even count calories for. It was a huge step for me and a successful weekend! Now if only I felt better....

I'm there, the i'm not!

2008-12-13T12:21:00.003-05:00

Sorry I was only posting for half the day yesterday. A lot was going on last night, and blogging was the last on my mind. Here's the on-again, off-again blogging making an appearance!

Anyways, I ended up going to Lox, Stocks, and Bagels with Community Service and getting a small green tea. When I got back to school, I snacked on a Honey Nut Cherrios Milk and Cereal Mar- I was starving and there was no way I was making it until dinner.

I had to wait for my friend Lily to come back from squash practice and shower, so we ate dinner at about 6:30. I had a small banana with peanut butter, a small pita with melted shredded mozzarella and peppers, and a small side salad. This kept me fueled through my chapel-cleaning duties. I went home around 8pm. When I got home I showered and then snacked on a Deep Chocolate Vitamuffin (love these!). Later that night while studying I opened I new bag of Fruit 'N Nut Trail Mix and had a yogurt along with it.

This morning I woke up at 7:40 promptly for my Saturday classes (ugh). Thank god I had a sleep in! I woke up craving a Turkey Sausage flatbread from Dunkin Donuts. Weird, that never happens in the AM. I gave into my craving, and during our coffee run I got my flatbread and a medium black coffee which I drank half of.

I had Spanish, Algebra II, and English before going home. Tonight is Winter Formal, so I will be going back to school and sleeping over in my friends dorm tonight. I also have Drivers ED tomorrow afternoon (KILL ME), so I will go there right from school.

Getting back to my eats, I am currently enjoying my lunch. I am having a Fluffernutter made with Peter Pan Whipped and Fluff on Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal bread. On the side I am having baby carrots and a Chocolate Brownie Cliff Kid Z-Bar. Of course, Diet Coke made its way into lunch!

Now I am going to relax before SAT prep!

I think I failed it...

2008-12-12T13:00:00.004-05:00

It being the history test. It was SOOO hard. I hope I didn't fail too miserably. The multiple choice questions my teacher gives are just so impossible. The level of knowledge needed to answer them is way beyond my capacity!

My day started earlier than normal today, because my dad and I had to stop at the cleaners so I could get the straps of my formal dress sewn to fit properly. My mom made me two slices of toast, so I gladly accepted. On my toast I spread a wedge of laughing cow cheese. I ate this in the car along with my travel mug filled with Numi Jasmine Green Tea and Stevia. I snagged a picture before running out the door.

This morning I had a really easy math quiz, and then English where I read for a whole hour. Overall it was a decent morning. I had a free block around 10:30, and was feeling a little hungry so I went to the store and grabbed a Diet Coke and a Balance Bar (both unphotographed, I forgot). This quickly fixed my hunger.

After Spanish and the impossible AP U.S. History test I finally had a free lunch block. Today was another Westminster favorite- Grilled Cheese day! The grilled cheeses here are probably the most unhealthy thing ever. 2 slices of Wonder bread, american cheese, and butter. I have actually never had one until today (eating disorder reasons), but I actually enjoyed it. I also had a small salad with cucumbers and balsamic vinegar,some fresh fruit salad, and a tall glass of water. Sorry that I don't have a picture, there's no way I am taking pics in the dining hall!! This is pretty much exactly what my sandwich looked like.

Today before community service we are going to Starbucks!! I can't wait to grab a much needed coffee! I think we are also going to go shopping for our Angel Tree Project, which is a big tree that we have at school. On the tree are paper angels with information about needy families who need christmas gifts.

I am going to be staying on campus later tonight, even through dinner, because I have to help clean up our chapel at 7pm tonight in preparation for our yearly Candlelight Service.

Time for chemistry- last class!!

Breakfast for dinner

2008-12-11T18:43:00.010-05:00

Around 5pm I snacked on some baby carrots while doing some Algebra II homework.

UGH I hate math!

Tonight I was feelin' a good old fashion breakfast for dinner night!! I was on my own because the parents had a christmas party. French toast sounded good- so french toast it was!!

I made my french toast with 2 slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal bread and a batter of egg whites, Torani Sugar Free Vanilla syrup, and lots of cinnamon. I poured on generous amounts of sugar-free syrup on my french toast. Alongside I had some cottage cheese with blueberries and a Butterfly Bakery Double Chocolate Chip muffin. To drink was water and Numi Jasmine Green Tea with some stevia to sweeten it up!

This was the perrrrfect dinner and really hit the spot while covering (most) of the nutritional bases.

By the way, I want to focus in on the Butterfly Bakery muffin. I discovered these in Shaw's over the summer and fell in love. They are made of really healthy ingredients with no sugar added. I am a muffin girl (seriously, I love muffins) so these were a huge find for me.

I hate to tell you, but I am still stuck on banana babies. I seriously LOVE them. I can't explain how much so. I enjoyed one for dessert tonight.

My no-calorie counting intuitive eating is going really well. Although sometimes I find that I can't fully trust myself and my body yet. It's scary, but I am slowly but surely getting there. I am trying my best to incorporate healthy meals into my diet, as well as a treat here and there. The only thing I have been noticing that I still do is use low-fat and sugar-free foods. I think I am okay with this for now, because as long as I am not using them to obsessively count calories/restrict my intake, it can't do too much harm. Otherwise, I have been able to eat out in restaurants and such and it is NO BIG DEAL! Yesterday I did some studying at Barnes and Noble. I was there through lunchtime (we get out at 11 on Wednesdays), so I figured I needed to grab a bite to eat. I practiced being flexible and got the exact lunch special in the Barnes and Noble Cafe with no alterations! The special of the day was a half of a Turkey and Cheese Chipotle Panini (turkey, cheddar, mozzarella, and a chipotle mayonnaise grilled to perfection) with a cup of the Chicken Tortilla soup. To drink I had a half of an IBC Diet Root Beer and a glass of water. This was literally the best lunch I have had in a long time. It was seriously SO good. If you haven't hit the Barnes and Noble Cafe for a panini yet I suggest you get on that. One more triumph I had this week was on Monday night. My sister and I were on our own for dinner because my parents went to go visit my grandmother who is in a nursing home right now. My dad slipped us a twenty on his way out the door so we could order in for delivery. We decided to try this new place called West Avon Pizza. OH MY GOD this is soooo my new favorite delivery place. Their menu is sooo much more than pizza. It ranges from chicken tenders, wings, and mozzarella sticks to pizza to calzones to grinders to wraps to spaghetti dishes galore to gyros to salads to burgers. The list goes on. I tried the turkey gyro. It was literally amazing. I got the tzatzki sauce on the side because I hate when things come drowning in a yucky sauce and I didn't want to take the chance. I put some of the sauce on though, and it was soooo amazingly good! My gyro came with a greek salad with huge chunks of feta (my favorite cheese ever). My sister got spaghetti and meatballs and it came with bread, butter, and a side salad. This dinner was so good. This place is a new favorite.

Okay I am done ranting, I just wanted to give a quick update on my eats and accomplishments!

I really have to finish my homework, I will be back to edit my post later.

I still have to have a night snack, but since I will be up late studying I am sure I will get hungry for it. I am thinking popcorn/trail mix and a yogurt. I just bought a new Berry Chocolate Trail Mix that's calling my name!!

Edit:

I ended up having what I said I would. I popped a mini bag of popcorn and threw in a handful of this yummy mix-

I was inspired by Care to Eat to have trail mix. I needed to see what the hype was about. I LOVE IT NOW! It's totally yummy, and nutritious!

With my night snack I also had a Yoplait yogurt and a water bottle mixed with Totally Light 2 Go Lemonade.

Now I really have to go finish studying for my huge AP U.S. History test tomorrow. I can't wait for christmas break!!

On-again, off-again

2008-12-11T15:24:00.004-05:00

I decided that instead of stressing, I am going to do on-again off-again blogging. AKA- I will blog when I get a chance or feel like it. That could mean everyday or once a week (it will depend). This morning started off with two Low Fat Nutrigrain Waffles. One of them I topped with some sugar-free syrup, and the other I melted 1/2 slice of Pepper Jack Veggie Slices on top. I also had a Red Delicious apple.

This morning I only had two classes before it was lunchtime. I LOVE first block lunch!! Today was NACHO BAR DAY!! It is a favorite lunch day at Westminster School. For my lunch I filled my plate with three different things. One third of my plate was a green salad with veggies. The other third was fresh fruit salad. The last section of my plate was filled with Tostitos, salsa, and fresh cut tomatoes. YUM! After lunch I got dessert at the school store. I had a Peanut Butter Lindor Truffle and a Diet Coke. Oh, and I stole a bite of my friend Kristen's snickerdoodle cookie. Thanks Kristen!

After sitting through a few more miserable classes (they've all been a drag lately), I went home. Now I am blogging and enjoying my afternoon snack. I am having a Vanilla Chobani that I mixed with some Sugar-Free Smuckers. This is my first time with Chobani, normally I buy Fage. I think I like Chobani better!

Now I am going to finish this episode of Full House that I am watching, and then I am going to do some English reading.

P.S. Sorry I have no breakfast or lunch pictures!

I'm really back now!

2008-12-05T14:56:00.003-05:00

Sorry about the little hiatus, but I was really having a tough time. I think that for a little while there, the blog was enforcing my obsession and I was actually doing worse. I am back now, because surprisingly after a few short weeks I am feeling MUCH better. In fact, this is probably the best I have ever felt in my eating disorder. I am finally starting to feel like I can let this go. I have been intuitive eating for the past few weeks. I have been eating basically whatever I want, and I haven't been measuring my food to the exact teaspoon! I still eat a lot of the same things I was eating before, for the simple reason that I like those foods. At the same time I am including things that I used to like, but wasn't letting myself have. I have been drinking some caloric liquids like milk, and including desserts that I never would have let touch my lips. In essence I feel like nothing is off limits. I am no longer binge- eating at night. I was lying to you guys before, and a lot of the time when I showed my afternoon or morning snack I was really saving it all for nighttime and having a lot of food at night after restricting all day. I promise I won't do that anymore! I am really feeling awesome and hopefully you'll notice the changes! Pictures are going to be hard to come by during school meals- that's my only warning. I am a little embarrassed to be photographing food in the dining hall. Otherwise, I will try my best to move the blog back into full-gear!

Phew, now that thats over. Breakfast this morning was a Raisin English Muffin with Brummel and Brown that I grabbed from the toaster as I was running out the door. No time for a sit down meal! I was starving again once it hit 10:30 (free block) so I ran to the store and grabbed the first thing I saw- a 100 Calorie Peanut Butter Crisp Balance Bar and a Diet Coke.

For lunch I had a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, and a hard-boiled egg white. I also had a large serving of fruit salad (different melons, grapes, pineapple, orange slices). To top off my lunch I had 1/2 of a Fluffernutter sandwich on whole wheat bread. I am obsessed with these! This is one of those foods people are obsessed with at my school, but I never let myself have. Now I am letting myself indulge in them! I had one both yesterday and today and let me tell you- sooo worth it. I love these.

I have to run to Community Service now (first day back for winter term!). In the bus on the way there I will probably have a Fiber 1 Bar that I just found hiding in my bag. I am letting a little hungry so I think I need something! I will upload the picture tonight.

I'm back!!

2008-11-17T12:43:00.008-05:00

Sorry that I have been MIA. I just needed a break. This weekend was pretty relaxing. So relaxing that I slept through my AP U.S. History test and had to take it during my free block! After class on Saturday I got my hair done. I LOVE it. I decided to go for short bangs, which was a great idea. Here pics of my new doo.

After my haircut, my mom and I stopped in Whole Foods. We came out with desserts, a new Z-Bar flavor, greek yogurt, peanut butters, and Ethnic Gourmet meals. When we got home I made plans with a friend, who ended up bailing so I had a quiet night in. I had a much needed relaxing weekend.

I am soo glad to be back, that I tried a new bowl of oats this morning! Only problem was- I didn't remember to take a picture until several bites in. I got a quick photo, however I am warning you it is the most disgusting looking, unappetizing oats photo in the history of oatmeal.

Inside this (disgusting looking) bowl:

*1 packet of Instant Regular Oatmeal

*1/4 c. Fiber 1 Cereal

*About 1/4 c. Blueberries

*1 tsp DaVinci Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup

*1/2 packet of Stevia

This was SO good. I am hooked and you will be seeing this ALL THE TIME now! Maybe I will experiment with fruit, and perhaps a tablespoon of peanut butter? YES, I think so!!

I made an important decision last night that I thought I would share with my blog readers so you can better understand some of my posts. I have had a really good week and weekend food-wise, and I really do not want to ruin this. I would like to keep moving forward in my recovery, making it a main priority in my life right now. In order to do so, there are some changes that have to be made. One important one being that I trick myself into thinking that I am going to eat lunch in the dining hall, but then always make an excuse not to. So from now on, I am not going to do this. I know dining hall eating stresses me out, so I am going to make an effort to pack a few snack items to take with me to school incase I get overwhelmed. This being said, I think once a week would be a good goal to set regarding the dining hall. Whether it be lunch or dinner, I would like to have a meal there at least one time per week, starting when I return from Thanksgiving break (which starts Friday!!). I am proud of this decision that I have made, as well as some other ones that came out this weekend. I had a very big accomplishment last night I would also like to share. I have a fear of taking "unauthorized" bites of food. For example, if someone is eating something and offers me a bite, I always refuse. If I am going to eat something I have to plan it out and think about it, and then eat it. Last night my sister was eating berry cheesecake. I asked her if it was good and she responded, "Yes, want a bite?". I spontaneously took a bite of her cheesecake! I know this sounds silly, but it was a HUGE deal for me. (By the way, it was an individual berry cheesecake slice from Whole Foods).

Anyways, moving on to my first day of packing snacks/lunch/whatever you want to call it. Today I sat in my normal spot at the computer lab and enjoyed a new treat from Whole Foods- Justin's Organic Nut Butters. The pack was 1.15 ounces of Honey Peanut Butter.

It was delicious! I had the peanut butter along with baby carrots and 1/2 Joseph's pita. Justin, Joseph- wow a lot of Js! I also had a Jello Dark Chocolate pudding for my sweet tooth. The high fat/protein content of this meal kept me going through the afternoon.

My afternoon snack was a Low Fat Nutrigran Waffle topped with 1/2 slice of Sargento Reduced Fat Provolone and a Sweet and Salty Nut Almond Bar. I have been missing both of these yummies!!

Mom was getting a manicure, dads away, and Kelly was at choir rehearsal. I had dinner all alone =(

If you can't tell- love snacky type meals. I had a can (yes, a can) of Campbell Light Italian-Style Vegetable Soup along with unsweetened applesauce, a Frigo Light Cheese Stick for protein, and a Fiber 1 bar.

I am procrastinating writing my A.P English essay on Fredrick Douglass that is due tomorrow- so I will be back with my snack post later (and maybe by essay?)

Short Break

2008-11-14T16:33:00.001-05:00

NOTICE:

I am taking a break from the blogging world for a few short days. Be back soon!!

Damn Technology

2008-11-13T15:12:00.010-05:00

I finally figured out why my pictures are not working. My phone can't figure out how to send the email! I have a blackberry, and I just email my pictures to myself so I then have them on the computer. This worked in the beginning, however now the email is very delayed. I just got all my pictures from the past few days this morning! Don't be surprised if I am posting pictures a few days later than the post until I get this figured out. I got so frustrated last night, I didn't even post! I will give you a recap, with pictures later.

Breakfast was, of course, my oats bowl with PB.

I got out of class at 11:15AM yesterday, but I had tutoring from 11:15-12:15PM. When my mom came to pick me up, she brought a surprise. Her phone came! Now we're Blackberry Curve twins! She wanted to go to Verizon to switch over her phone and the contacts. When she was there, I went to Borders to buy a few SAT/ACT Prep books that I needed for tutoring. After I got the books I still had time to spare so I headed to Walgreens because I wanted to grab some more of the Russell Stover Sugar Free Chocolate Marshmallows. I got 6 more! I also picked up some Carmex for my fall chapped lips =), as well as these cute little Disney Chocolate Bites. There is 16 in the pack and they are cute and little. They are in the shapes of characters from Pooh! After my purchases, my mom was finally ready to hit the road.

When I got home I quickly threw together something easy for lunch that I could eat while doing AP U.S. History reading. I had my usual veggie sandwich on a Joseph's pita with spicy brown mustard, a pack of Nature Valley Apple Crisps, a Cocovia bar, a Diet Coke, and a So Delicious Raspberry Cream bar for dessert (bar will be pictured separately). A perfect lunch for yesterday!

Here is my So Delicious Bar pictured next to Lincoln!

After lunch I continued to do work, then I did the dishes and fed the dogs, and finally helped my mom learn how to use her new Blackberry. My mom made Cream of Wheat for her to have for dinner, I told her she was weird, and proceeded into the fridge to get one of the sandwiches I bought in Boston. I settled on the Eggplant Parmesan sandwich. OH MY GOD this was delicious!! I wish I could get these around us...

I warmed up half of it, and ate the other half cold in order to try it both ways and better enjoy the meal. I loved it both ways. This was soooo yummmy! It was really hard for me to eat this without knowing the nutrition facts. It was hard- but I did it and man it was good! I enjoyed it alongside a Boston's Light Popcorn.

YUM YUM YUM.

Next I took a shower, and passed out on my living room floor. Literally. Well, kinda. I fell asleep there studying!! I woke up around 9:30, made my sisters lunch for today, grabbed a banana baby for dessert, and headed to my room. I did some more work and later on had my night snack. Last night that consisted of a Laughing Cow spread on 2 slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal Bread, and Yoplait Thick & Creamy, a Cliff Kid Z-Bar, and a Russell Stover Marshmallow for a treat!

After this I was so tired- I hit the hay!!

This morning I didn't take a picture of my oats because I was too frustrated with the whole picture ordeal. I finally calmed down when I saw the pictures in my inbox this morning. Lunch was what I am going to call a classic "Westy on-the-run lunch". A lot of the kids will grab a chocolate Nesquik or Naked drink along with some Pretzel Flipz and call that lunch when their really busy. I had to do a DBQ (in class history essay using documents for support) during my lunch block today. It was a make-up that I missed while in Boston. Because I didn't have time for lunch, I took what I could get. I ran to the dining hall for an apple, and then proceeded to the store to buy a Diet Coke, some Chocolate Pretzel Flips, and a 100 calorie Balance Bar.

I ate all of the apple and bar, and about 1/2 the bag (1 serving) of Flipz.

I have to run- time to get some work done before I get picked up!!

Boston!

2008-11-11T21:14:00.008-05:00

Boston is one of my favorite cities. I really want to go to college there. Boston College has been my dream since I knew what college was. We actually took a drive-by today on our way home.

We woke up at 5:30, and left by 6:30. We got into the city in just under 2 hours (much quicker than normal!) We stopped to get coffee, granola bars, and gas on the way. I had a small black coffee with 1/2 splenda, a Cliff Kid Z-Bar (love these), and an apple.

My mom also got a speeding ticket on route 84. I swear to god, she was NOT speeding. As the police put his lights on we both looked of the speed-o-meter and looked at eachother and said "he can't be pulling us over, is he?". For a $300 ticket, she's going to fight it!!

Once we got into Boston we waiting for my uncle to arrive, as this meeting was for him. (My mom does work for her brother). Copley Mall opened at 10AM, so when the clock struck Kelly and I headed down that way. We shopped for a while, and then got VERY hungry. We knew that we would probably be having lunch with our mom and uncle around in about a half an hour to an hour (it was 11 at the time), so we didn't know what to do. We went to the Shaw's grocery store in the Prudential Center. Kelly got a hard-boiled egg (?). I got two sandwiches...even funnier. Don't worry- I wasn't planning on eating both right there and then. I couldn't choose between these two amazing looking sandwiches (all natural, vegan). I got an Eggplant Parm Sandwich and a Tempeh Ruben. I figured if my mom took too long- I would be eating! Turns out, I ended up taking both home. That's fine, I have them for later!!

Lunch ended up being sans mom and uncle...long story. Kelly and I first did take-out at Legal Seafood where Kelly and I both got soup. I got a cup of the Lite Clam Chowder (broth based, filled with clams and veggies). It was soo good! We ended up taking our soup down to Au Bon Pain to round out our meal. Plus, we had stopped in earlier and it looked amazing! I ate at that particular Au Bon Pain with a friend once, and it really beats every other one I've ever been to. At Au Bon Pain I did a "make-your-own" wrap. I got a wrap with romaine lettuce, onion, cucumbers, sprouts, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, and dijon mustard.

Here's a closer look inside my wrap...

I ate 1/2 of this, with some of the watermelon that Kelly and I got to share, and a Diet Pepsi. The soup, wrap, and fruit filled me up nicely and made me feel MUCH better.

After lunch, we set off to find our mother- whom took forever to track down because she has some aversion to answering her cell phone. Finally we found her, and started to head home. Like I said, on the way we stopped to see the BC campus- which I loved! My mom even made me do some highway driving (my first time ever on the highway). I have never been so scared driving! I'm sure I will get used to it.

When we got home, I was SO tired. So was Kelly and my mom. We vegged out for a little, and then got up and went to F.Y.E. because Kelly wanted to get the new David Archuleta album that came out today. She is in love! P.S. I snacked on an unphotographed Banana Baby (of course) during this down time.

After our F.Y.E. stop, we hit up the chinese place for dinner. We went to Rice Fields, which is a homey little restaurant literally right down the street from our house. Our order consisted of the following:

*Steamed Pork Dumplings

*Steamed Vegetable Dumplings

*Pint of White Rice and Brown Rice

*Steamed Mixed Vegetables

*Wonton Soup

*Egg Roll (for my mom)

I don't think I have mentioned on the blog yet that I do not eat beef or pork (only poultry and fish). The veggie dumpling idea was mine. I haven't had dumpling since I stopped eating red meat years ago, they were so good! For dinner I portioned myself out a plate of 2 veggie dumplings, a large serving of mixed vegetables, and some brown rice. This was yummy, but I wasn't that hungry.

After homework time and a shower (brought me to about 9PM) I had dessert. Tonight was a small square of vanilla cake from Shaw's along with a Lofthouse Pumpkin Iced Cookie! SOOO amazing!

There is not really anything else exciting to report about my night, except for possible night snack. I had 2 slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal bread spread with a wedge of Light Laughing Cow Swiss cheese. I also had a Yoplait Light Thick & Creamy and a Fiber 1 bar.

NIGHT TIME! I can't explain my exhaustion.

All things red

2008-11-10T17:59:00.007-05:00

Well, not all things. Just blood! I volunteered at the Blood Drive that we had today at school. My AP English teacher's daughter, Olivia, had leukemia when she was 5 (she is now 11 and has been cured). She received several transfusions, and our school hosts blood drives every year in her honor. I helped to serve people juice, water, and baked goods after they gave blood this afternoon.

This red day started out promptly at 7:45. I had a much needed sleep in this morning. After getting dressed up in my new boots and scarf, I made my oatmeal. Normal bowl of course- sorry I am so boring!!

School was, well, school today. The most exciting part of my day was meeting with the school doctor (which I do weekly) and my piano lesson. Both of which went alright. After the doctors and piano I had Spanish 3 Honors, AP U.S. History, free block, and then AP English. During my free block I was insane with work- as I figured I was going to be. At home this morning I threw some random items in my bag that I could create a "lunch" with. I started off with a Oscar Mayer Shaved Turkey Breast Singles pack for some protein. Next I had a cup of fruit salad that I grabbed in the dining hall quickly, because I figured it would help to round out my meal. After the fruit salad I snacked on a bad of Wise Buttered Popcorn, and then concluded lunch with a South Beach Diet Raspberry Chocolate bar (tastes like dessert while packing serious protein and fiber!). It was a random, snack like meal-- but good.

The rest of my day consisted of volunteering. I got home close to 5PM, and was hungry so I splurged and devoured a banana baby before I could snatch a pic. At about 6:15 I asked my mom what we were doing because I was starving. She said she wanted corn chowder, and to put on some soup. She and my sister split a can of Progresso Chicken Corn Chowder. I had a bowl full of Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup, along with 1/2 Joseph's Pita cut into triangles for dipping. For some veggies I had a bag full of Grimmay Farms Baby Carrots that I snatched from Cosi. I also had a Cliff Kid Z-Bar, and then a Pumpkin Frosted Cookie for a treat (I forgot how amazing these are!!).

I am going to Boston tomorrow with my mom and sister because my mom has a business meeting in the John Hancock building. I need to get to bed earlier- we're waking up at 5 to leave by 6AM!!

Night snack/meal was nothing new. I had a Shaw's Raisin Light English Muffin alongside a Yoplait Thick & Creamy, an unsweetened applesauce, and a Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Almond bar. This hit the spot as always.

Wake-up time: 5AM! Better go get some sleep ASAP.

Wake me up!

2008-11-09T14:25:00.004-05:00

I specifically told my mom that she needs to make sure I don't sleep too late on the weekends. She definitely spaced this morning. She woke me up at 1:19PM. AHHH! Well, I didn't go to bed until 4AM. My sleeping patterns are really messed up. My late awakening throws off my eating schedule, and makes me not hungry so I have to force it down. I took a quick shower and then started on breakfast/lunch. Today I had the same veggie sandwich on a pita with spicy brown mustard, an apple, a Frigo Light Cheese Stick, some Light Fat Free Pringles, and a leftover Pumpkin Iced Cookie for dessert. (which are huge, soft, and delicious!)

After lunch I did some AP U.S. History reading and then had a snack. Nothing new, sorry for my lack of variety! We are going grocery shopping tomorrow so I will have some new options. However, I am addicted to having a....Cliff Kid Z-Bar with a Diet Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate. Today I added a tablespoon of Peter Pan Whipped Peanut Butter to this snack (spread on top of my bar, and the rest on a spoon!) in order to add in some much needed healthy protein and fat.

This evening, my mom, sister, and I went to the mall. I did a little (okay, a lot) of shopping. I bought a pair of boots, a scarf, a pair of knee high socks for school, and a necklace from Forever 21. My sister got 2 pairs of jeans from there. I bought a pair of jeans from Hollister. I also got 2 new bras from H&M and a pair of ballet flats from Nordstroms. My sister also got a few tops and a sweatshirt from Abercrombie.

When we came home, my sister and I made dinner while my mom did some laundry. We were being lazy and we simply threw a Viola! ready-to-make meal in a skillet. Kelly chose Teriyaki Chicken, so that's what we had had! It is made with chicken, snow peas, broccoli, carrots, and water chestnuts with (barely any) rice, and soy sauce. It was actually pretty tasty- but high sodium due to the soy sauce. But it really was worth it! There is ~2.5 servings in the bag, and we split the bag between 3 people. We even had a little leftover, so you do the math on my portion size! Along with dinner we had Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (the small ones, 3= 1 serving). These are a family favorite, but Kelly and I were being lazy and din't wait for the oven to heat before putting them in. They came out pretty gross, and I only had a half of one.

Here is a picture of the package and me stirring the meal.

Dessert was an obvious- Diana's Banana Baby that I ate before getting a picture. Seriously I cannot stress enough that you MUST MUST MUST find these and try them. So amazingly delicious!!

Night snack/meal was incredibly large today, due to my lack of breakfast and my small dinner. Tonight I was craving some healthy, warm carbs. At first I thought I wanted oatmeal, but then I thought "Nope, RICE!" The small serving of rice at dinner must have teased me! So I took a Minute Ready To Serve container of brown rice (love these, so easy and come out great) and headed it up Then I chopped an Al Fresco Chicken Breakfast Sausage link into the rice. I was rummaging the entire kitchen and cabinets for veggies (we need a grocery shop). I finally found an already-opened bag of some random steamed vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli). I heated that up and threw it in!

I had this stir-fry like meal alongside my normal Yoplait Thick & Creamy and a new Atkins Advantage Caramel Chocolate Peanut Nougat Bar. This night meal/snack was healthy and delicious. It pretty much covers everything I consider to be the nutritional bases (protein, fat, carbs, veggies, fruit, dairy), except for fruit. But hey, I had a frozen banana for dessert (who cares if it was covered in milk chocolate?!?)

I think I have been doing better about:

a. eating enough

b. eating a variety

c. listening to my body/cravings and eating what I actually want to eat!

This is a much enjoyed improvement. Let's leave on a happy note and say it's bedtime!

Doing this for real

2008-11-08T23:38:00.014-05:00

Before I start, I want to say that I really don't want to focus a lot on my eating disorder on this blog, because I want it to be more about my goal of health and balance. That being said, I would just like to explain what is going on right now. Recently I have been having a tough time. But after seeing a huge drop in weight (I am back down to my all-time low), and starting this blog I have had a wake up call... Seriously, starting this blog has worked a miracle at a vital time. If I was to go down anymore, I might have to go back to rehab. The past week has been a huge turn around. I am also trying to add more food in, so I have been trying harder. What you see on this blog is a huge improvement from what I was doing 2 or 3 weeks ago. I am really ready to do this for real.

Afternoon snack was nothing new, but good- Cliff Kid Z-Bar and a Diet Swiss Miss Cocoa.

My night started with my sister and her friends interrupting me in my relaxation mode. It was fine though, they were cute and we had fun rocking out to David Archuleta. Long story =) Around 5:30 we left to go to my uncles house for my cousin Ryan's 21st birthday. I only stayed about a half hour because I had to go and babysit. Here is the little boy, Andrew, that I babysit for.

After I got Andrew to bed I finally got around to making dinner. I brought a bunch of frozen meals and snacks, but I really didn't want a frozen meal. I found some egg beaters and feta cheese in the fridge, so I decided to make a scramble. I used 1/2 c. Egg Beaters and 1/4 c. Fat Free Presidente Feta Cheese. I scrambled this up and served it alongside grapes and mandarin orange slices. On the side I had a Fiber 1 bar and a Low Sodium V8. I used to LOVE v8 when I was little, but for some reason I haven't had it in forever. I saw it at the grocery store last week and grabbed it.

Here is pics of dinner prep and the meal.

Yummy! As you can see, I splurged and had a Sierra Mist Free I found in the fridge. I actually didn't even finish it. After dinner, I talked to Ariel on the phone for a while and watched some "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" on ABC Family. While watching, I had a treat for dessert. In their freezer was something I used to have a lot, but haven't had in a while. I had actually never had the chocolate one, but it was good! A Weight Watchers Giant Chocolate Cookies & Cream Bar. I normally get the Giant Latte Bars, but these were a good change of pace.

When I got home, it was about 11 and I took a nice, hot, and long shower and then had my night snack/meal. Tonight I had weird cravings and made interesting choices! I had a Morningstar Farms Veggie Corn Dog (love these), a Yoplait Thick & Creamy, 4 pack of Austin Toasty Peanut Butter Crackers, and a Sugar Free Russell Stover Chocolate Marshmellow Santa that a picked up the other day at Walgreens. I can't believe Christmas candy is out already!!

Delish! Remind me to buy more marshmallow chocolates!!

Just so you all know, I tend to make my night snack/meal about 400-500 calories. I feel this is a good way to end the day, especially if I was low on calories throughout the day. Believe it or not, with my metabolism I might need to adjust this up based on my weight, because sometimes it really takes me a lot to gain. I think of the 3,500 rule. If you need 3,500 calories to gain a pound, then you would need to eat 500 calories a day above maintenance level to gain a pound per week. That will be my goal.

Now I am catching up on some "Fresh Prince" reruns before heading off to bed. 'Night!

Grit and Grammar

2008-11-08T13:51:00.009-05:00

Saturday morning classes are just the best idea since sliced bread huh? Today was an odd block Saturday, which meant we had blocks 1, 3, 5, and 7. I have block 1 free, so I got to sleep in until 7:45AM, which felt great. After waking up I quickly got dressed and had my normal bowl of oats, but for some reason it tasted better than normal today (not that it's normally not good).

Next I hopped into the car with my mom and headed to class!!

My class schedule today went like this:

Block 1- FREE

Block 3- Spanish 3 Honors

Block 5- Algebra II

Block 7- A.P. English/American Lit

We have odd block Saturdays every other week, and every Saturday that I have English class we play Grammar games. There are two organized teams, and we face off to answer grammar questions and correct sentences. This competition continues throughout the term, and after the end of the term the team with the most overall wins gets a donut feed. So far my team, Grit and Grammar (A play on "Grit and Grace" just like my blog title!) has won 3 of the games, while the other team has won 0. With only 2 more odd block Saturdays left in the term, we already won the donut feed!

After class I went home and laid in my bed. Ever since math class, I really haven't been feeling well. I have a horrible headache and I feel like I got hit by a truck. At about 1:15, I got up and made some lunch. I really just didn't have the strength to intelligently cook up a fun, innovative meal. I wasn't feeling up to it. I knew I needed a lunch that covered all the nutritional bases (carbs, veggies, fruit, protein, fat) so I went with a meal I believe you've seen before. I had a veggie sandwich on a pita with spicy mustard, diced peaches cup, Boston's Light Popcorn, Frigo Light Cheese Stick, and a Diet Coke of course. Pictured below is lunch all together with a glass of water and 2 Tylenol that I hope will kick in soon!

This was enjoyed while watching "What Not to Wear", which is one of my all time favorite guilty pleasures! My parents went to Verizon to get my mom a new phone and to fix our cellphone plan, because our bill is legit $500 a month. Both of my parents use their phone for work. My dad even has 2 (a Moto Q for email and a regular phone). So between all the minutes we use, my dad's Moto Q email use, my Blackberry email use, and all my sisters texting- you can imagine our bill is ridiculous. I was going to go with my parents and go shopping around the Verizon store, but I just wasn't feeling up to it.

Oh- my mom just called! She ended up getting a Blackberry Curve, just like me!!

By the way, no matter how sick I feel there always room for a sweet treat! Today it was a Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Jello Pudding.

I have to babysit for my Dad's client tonight. What a way to spend my only night off. Ugh. Oh well, it's money!

I need sleep!

2008-11-07T12:58:00.015-05:00

So I woke up this morning at 7:15and I had to leave by 7:35. I am just so tired from not getting enough sleep. I have never been so stressed in the morning! I threw on a dress that I think is my moms, made my oatmeal, and left. I didn't have time to take a picture, so I will substitute with yesterdays pic.

I was a few minutes late to Algebra- but whatever what can you do?

My school day was pretty low key, except i've been so tired. I am going to aim for a normal amount of sleep tonight, but we'll see how that goes. For lunch I really didn't go into the dining hall because 1. I was busy and 2. I knew I was going to be having pizza at Community Service. So I simply went to the school store and bought a Diet Coke and some Sabra Pretzel Crisps and enjoyed them in the computer lab with a Cliff Kid Z-Bar that I brought from home.

The Sabra Pretzels Crisps were really good, I had never had them before but I was impressed! Except for the high sodium, they're great! The container at the top holds the crisps, and below is a container with zesty salsa for dipping. There is a serious amount of salsa (the packaging said 1/2 c.) I tried to use as much of it as I could, but it was just too much for the amount of chips. Really yummy though. The Cliff Bar was good as always.

After class I just talked with a friend for a while, and then headed off to Community Service. Today was the last day of it for the fall term (most people will change afternoon programs). But because I cannot do a sport because of my "condition" I am going to do Community Service again. It definitely wasn't as sad for me as it was for the others. Anyways, we brought Little City Pizza for the kids to have for a treat. Little City is a favorite of Westminster kids, its the best pizza place in town. By the way, Westminster is the name of my boarding school. The pies were cut into squares, and I had a small square.

I ate in the dining hall for dinner, but I was too embarrassed to whip out my camera so I didn't take any pictures. I wasn't a fan of the hot food they were serving today (some nasty chicken dish) so dinner was a small bowl of plain pasta, a side salad with a hard-boiled egg, and an ice cream sandwich for dessert.

This is the brand that I had above.

After dinner I went to the Stud (student center) with one of my best friends, Lily. We played a game of pool, and then a lot of my other friend came over too and we all hung out for a while. Now I am in the Library for study hall (7:30-9:15). I think I am going home now though because I am tired and I want to actually get some sleep tonight. Remember- I am a weirdo who goes to school on Saturday mornings!

I will update later with my night time snack and fill you in on my sleep progress or not progress!

Update: I came home and took a shower (fit a treat in there) and fell asleep for a half hour. Then I convinced myself to get up, did my Spanish homework, and watched Numb3rs with my parents.

When I got home I somehow convinced myself that I needed one of these babies!

Bed is a priority tonight- meaning right after this post. Hey, 1AM is better than 3:30AM! I don't have to get up until 7:45AM tomorrow. Night snack was an old favorite- Shaw's brand light raisin english muffin with tsp Brummel and Brown along with a Yoplait Thick & Creamy. I also tried something new that I bought at the school store. Honey Nut Cherrios Milk and Cereal Bar.

Verdict? Not bad, but I would much rather have a sweet and salty or advantage bar.

All together:

Adios!

Go, go, go

2008-11-06T23:41:00.009-05:00

I've been going nonstop all day!
I went straight from class to pic up my grandmother with my mom so we could bring her to the foot doctors. We dropped her off there and headed to Dunkin Donuts to grab some food. I didn't eat lunch at school today because I was just way too overwhelmed. I had a Dunkin Donuts Egg White Turkey Sausage Flatbread and a small black coffee with 1 splenda. I loveee these flatbreads!!

I literally am obsessed with those things!

Afternoon snack was in the car. My mom brought it to me, and I had one of the new bars I recently fell in love, and a Frigo Light Cheese Stick on the side! Definitely kept me going through the evening!

This evening we went to the doctors for both me and my mom. My parents and I got to a concierge specialty doctor (my sister is too young for the practice), so luckily I could sneak in a weigh in/vitals during my mom's appointment. My weight was down- and now I am just 3 pounds from my inpatient admission weight. I am really concerned and I am really not trying to loose any weight- I think it's just stress. So I really have to work on upping my intake now. Don't be surprised if you see lots of food! I need to GAIN BABY!

After the doctors I had a therapist appointment in the building next door. The appointment went really well and was very helpful towards getting me back on track. I didn't tell her that I started a food blog, but I did tell her I was photographing and tracking my food in order to keep myself accountable. She said it was a good idea, and I could even email her some pictures of my triumphs if I was up to it.

In the downstairs of the therapists office is a favorite place of my mom, sister, and I. Cosi. We grabbed some Cosi Sandwiches to-go for dinner. I had a Fire-Roasted Veggie on Etruscan Whole Grain with baby carrots. This is one of my favorite sandwiches from here. It is warm with roasted veggies and a creamy feta cheese spread (feta is one of my all time favorite cheeses). It hit the spot tonight!

Up closer-

Dessert was the same as last night (I am obsessed what can I say?!?). A Diana's Milk Chocolate Banana Baby- YOU MUST TRY THESE THEY ARE BEYOND AMAZING!!

(How awful is that pic with my laptop and blanket in the background?)

I had a really good chat with my best friend Ariel tonight. By the way- her grandmother is out of the hospital and doing much much better. She was really helping to both motivate me regarding my health and eating right now, as well as help calm me down (I was in hysterics) about my boy issues right now =(. I miss her so much (she moves to Arizona 2 years ago) and can't wait until we see each other over winter break. Although we talk several times a day, it's not the same as having her here!

My evening snack/meal (we should call it a meal at this point!) was yummy! I had 2 slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal bread spread with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese and sprouts. I also had the infamous Thick & Creamy Yogurt. To finish, I had one of my favorite treats, a Chex Mix Turtle Bar!

I LOVE THESE! I will do a review sometime when I am not exhausted.

All from above-

Speaking of being tired, I am off to bed. 'Night everyone!

Hour free= my life

2008-11-06T09:05:00.003-05:00

I have had the hour block free two days in a row now! What am I going to do tomorrow when I have to sit through an hour of AP English?!? UGH. Right now I am back in my favorite spot in the computer lab, wasting time when I should be studying for the english quiz that I have next block. But of course, I am not.
I started the day at 6:45, snoozed the alarm and finally hopped out of bed at 7. I struggled to find what I would consider a "cute outfit" today. I love getting dressed up in dress code, but for some reason today was hard. I pulled it together with a grey dress, a cheetah print belt over it (with a matching necklace), and a black scarf with black boots. Decent.
Breakfast was promply ready by 7:20, and I ate it in about 10-15 minutes and finally got out the door at 7:35. Mind you, my school is about 25 minutes away so I was running into chemistry class as the bell was rining!

My normal bowl of oats, consisting of 1 packet instant oatmeal, 1 tsp DaVinci Sugar Free Syrup, and 1 tbsp Peter Pan Whipped Peanut Butter-

Okay I really should get to that studying!

We're all in this together

2008-11-05T23:32:00.016-05:00

Yeah so, I ended up going to HSM3 again and staying awake through the whole thing. I took my sister to the 7PM showing. I was sitting in the movie and I looked at my sister and said OH MY GOD I FORGOT TO EAT DINNER. Weird cause that rarely happens. So when I got home- dinner was #1 on my priority list. This also means that I will have to have another midnight snack tonight! It's okay, god knows I will be up!! Anyways, the movie was cute and the ended was good but very cliche.

Before we went into the theater, we stopped in Rite Aid to get cheap drinks for the movie, and to get Pepcid AC for Lucy the dog (who we got to pick up finally!) While were were there, I picked up 2 more Snicker's Low Carb Marathon Bars but in the chocolate flavor. I also bought a box of the Atkins Advantage Bar that I tried yesterday and loved, as well as a single of the Peanut Butter Nougat flavor. The picture is minus the one Snickers Bar that I ate with dinner.

I was so famished when I got home I threw together something quick. I made a Boca Vegan Veggie Burger that we bought today during our stop at Shaw's. I had this on a Country Kitchen Light Wheat Roll, and topped it with alfalfa sprouts and yellow mustard. On the side I had a serving of baby carrots, about 10 Light Fat Free Sour Cream & Onion Pringles, and one of the Peanut Butter flavored Snickers Marathon Bars (review below). I felt much much better after eating my dinner!

Components from dinner-

Boca Vegan Veggie Burger

Snickers Marathon Low Carb Lifestyle Bar

Serving Size: 1 bar (50 g)

Calories: 170

Total Fat: 7g

Sat. Fat: 2g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 310mg

Potassium: 180mg

Total Carb.: 18g

Dietary Fiber: 8g

Sugars: 1g

Sugar Alcohols: 7g

Protein: 18g

I was really impressed with the stats on this bar. No HFCS, plenty of Potassium, 100% DV Vitamin C, E, and B, 50% DV Calcium, 8 grams of Fiber (which surprised me!), and 18 grams of Protein! This bar did I great job making me feel better after not eating dinner at a normal time. Overall, the taste was decent. I liked the bar I had last night better, however this one was pretty good too. I can imagine this bar would make a great afternoon snack to hold me over before dinner, or a good snack to bring with me to school for when I need something. It has excellent staying power. Plus, it was a nice sized bar. I will definitely be eating these again.

Dessert tonight was one of my favorites- a Diana's Banana Baby. Found in the health food section is my only excuse for these chocolate covered frozen bananas. I will do a review later.

Time to finish homework!!

Edit: Guess what time it is? Late. I'm updating and then hitting the hay. Night snack/meal was fun today!! I started with a Eggo Nutri-Grain Low Fat Waffle topped with a little tiny bit of strawberry jam and a drizzle of Howard's Sugar Free Syrup. Next I had my classic Yoplait Thick & Creamy! To conclude, I treated myself to something I used to love but haven't had in forever, but remembered thanks to a talk I had with an online friend today. NUTELLA!

I had 1 tablespoon worth out of this jar-

On my spoon-

And all together from above-

I'm off to bed! Finally right? See you tomorrow.

Lucy =(

2008-11-05T14:10:00.009-05:00

My Maltese-dachshund (or Moxie) Lucy has been sick since this weekend. She couldn't keep anything down and just wasn't being herself- so we took her to the vet on Monday. They kept her there overnight because she was very dehydrated and they wanted to run blood-work and x-rays. We were supposed to pick her up today but when my mom went to get her, she had just had diarrhea all over her cage. They wouldn't let us take her home yet =(. Here's two pictures of my baby!

On top of that, Ariel's grandmother is still in the hospital. She's out of the ER into a room, but they still don't know what happened.

Anyways, so I got out of school at 11:15, came home, relaxed, did a 20 minute ONDemand workout, and had lunch. Lunch today was similar to yesterday (I love this lunch you'll come to see, yummy and versatile). I started with a mug of Lipton Cup-Of-Noodle Chicken Soup (lots of salt, but sooo worth it). Next I had a veggie sandwich on a pita with horseradish mustard. To finish, I had a plum and a Frigo Light Cheese Stick. I heart plums and cheese!

YUM!

I said I would talk about my Diet Coke obsession so here it goes. I have an unhealthy attachment to the drink. I love it. There was a point last year where I was drinking up to six 1 liter bottles in a day. SIX. I realized how ridiculous that was, and cut back. I still drink my diet coke everyday, but now I limit myself to only one can per day, generally either with lunch or from the school store during a free block. Sometimes I will also have some from a fountain if we go out to eat or something, but I try my hardest to only have one per day.

I am a little late and gotta run because I am taking my sister to HSM3. No big deal- because I fell asleep through it anyways. I will be back later for more!

Edit: High School Musical 3 wasn't playing at our local theater because nobody showed up and we were too late to start it. BUMMER. My sister and I stopped in Walgreens and I purchased a new nailpolish, eyeliner, and some new power bars to try. I got 3 Snickers Marathon Low Carb Peanut Butter bars, which I will try and review soon.

As I am editing this post, I am having my afternoon snack. Therefore I figured I would post it now. I am having a mug of Swiss Miss Diet Hot Chocolate and a Chocolate Brownie Cliff Kid Z-Bar.

I'm off to do some AP U.S. History reading!

and just 4 hours later...

2008-11-05T09:05:00.008-05:00

Rise and shine was bright and early at 7AM after my 3AM bedtime. Yeah, how energized do you think I am after 4 hours?!? I'm feeling a nap later on today!

This morning I jumped out of bed, threw on the first skirt I could find (I have a dresscode), brushed my teeth, and headed downstairs. It was actually a weird morning after that. My best friend, Ariel called me from Arizona, and I was confused considering it was only 5AM her time. Turns out her grandmother had to go to the ER in the middle of the night. I am very very close with Ariel's family and they are practically my second family. I was very upset to hear about this. They're not sure what exactly is wrong, but I will update you when I find out. After that phone call I made my usual, quick breakfast while attempting to print out my AP English essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe. The printer failed to cooperate, so I decided to wait until I got to school and just enjoyed my oats. I had my normal bowl, which was made of one instant oatmeal packet, 2/3 c. water, 1 tsp DaVinci Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup, and 1 tbsp of Peter Pan Whipped P.B. I wish I could get creative with my oats like a lot of bloggers out there, but I just got have either the time, or the stomach to do so first thing in the morning. One Sunday I will have to experiment.

I know this doesn't look so appetizing in the picture, but it was yummy as always!

Right now I have the hour block free (8:45-9:45) and awaiting my next class in the computer lab. I always sit in here because it is the warmest spot in the entire school building. Here is my mess that has taken over the lab-

I have Chemistry next, then Algebra II, then I am done! We get out at 11:15 on Wednesdays, which is nice, except for the fact that- prepare yourselves- we go to school on Saturday mornings. Yes, that's right I have class every Saturday from 8AM-10:55AM. I've gotten used to it though, so it is really no big deal. Also, I normally stay at school on Saturday nights to hang out with friends and stuff. This Saturday however, I have agreed to babysit. I don't exactly know why I said I would, I guess I'm just money-hungry!

Alright, I am going to go get some work done and then go to class, I will be back with more later.

Freezer Diggin'

2008-11-05T00:35:00.007-05:00

Before I had to leave for babysitting I had a fast afternoon snack and quickly did the same 20 minute ONDemand workout that I did yesterday. It felt great!

Snack was something I have never tried before and really liked! I had a A Caramel Double Chocolate Crunch Atkins Advantage Bar. I think someone randomly gave me this- so I decided not to put it to waste. It was really yummy and very filling! I don't know how healthy it is, as I am sure it has HFCS (didn't check) but it was still really good. It had like 12 grams of protein, 160 calories, and was relatively large. I was impressed with its staying power, and this bar will definitely make it's way into my menus!

Afterwards, I rummaged through the freezer for dinner. I went back and forth between these two frozen meals until I decided that I wanted neither. So I went with a frozen Mahi Mahi filet instead! I knew that the people I was babysitting for would have lots of side options, so I just packed the fish and a treat.

Dinner was made while doing 234824 things at once! It was yummy though. I had the Mahi Mahi fillet, and added 1/2 cup of butternut squash and 1 cup of turnip greens and turnips (both of which I found in the freezer). I had never had turnip greens before, but I figured I would give them a try. I think I liked them, but I was too busy reading kids books and homework helping that I am not sure! I enjoyed my fish with yellow mustard on the side- EW right? Not for me! I love mustard on my fish, and always have. Actually, I like mustard on pretty much anything!

Dessert was another Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Jello that I mindlessly grabbed before leaving the house, so I figured why not?

Now I should explain that I am one that easily falls into the pattern of not eating enough, especially when breakfast is skipped. Once I do this one day, it becomes a bad pattern for me. To avoid this I had to force myself to squeeze in a few more snack/meals. When I came home from babysitting I had something I haven't had in a while- PB and J!

I took 2 slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal bread (which I will be doing a review on later) and spread 1 tablespoon each of Peter Pan Whipped Creamy Peanut Butter and a little strawberry jam. I decided to use my grilled cheese maker to grill and warm and gooey! I had an apple that my sister picked form the orchard (hence the bruise) and a Yoplait Light Thick & Creamy on the side. YUM! This was delicious all around.

Can you believe I am up posting at 1:30AM? I can. I have sleeping issues- I am working on them! Hehe. Because I am up so late, it was easy fitting in another snack. The only issue is my carb/sweet cravings come on at night! I gave into my cravings and had two of my obsessions. A Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut Almond Bar and a Reeses Cup. I am kind of a sweets are carb girl. I try my best to balance out these loves with real foods, but sometimes I have a hard time doing so. I'm a teenager, so that's my excuse!

I made a discovery about Reeses today. I used to avoid them completely, as it was a fear food when I was deep in my ED. When I started eating them I realized it was stupid of me because in moderation they are fine. Plus, they're only like 90 calories so what was I freaking over?!? Well today I realized something else. I was being weird and looking at the ounces on the Reeses Cup, so I could compare their size to the size of the pack of 2 cups. I learned that the size of the snack cups vary from .55 ounce, .6 ounce, and .75 ounce. The .55 ounce has 80 calories, .6 ounce has 90 calories, and the .75 has 110. Funny because I bought the snack cups in a small package the other day and they are the .55 ounce. That's what I had tonight. I could care less about the size because a Reeses is a Reeses to me, but I just found that interesting.

Goodnight!

Hill Holiday

2008-11-04T14:55:00.007-05:00

I woke up at 1pm today (after going to bed at 4:30)! Yes, I know that is horrible. What can I say? I am definitely your typical high school student. I stay up all night and sleep all day. Tomorrow I have to get back onto a normal schedule!! Because I woke up so late, breakfast was obviously shot. After I showered and got dressed I finally got around to making some food. Lunch was a veggie sandwich with spicy brown mustard on a Joseph's Pita with diced peaches, a Frigo Light cheese stick, and a bag of Boston's Light Popcorn.

The peaches were simple Dole No Sugar Added-

I recently discovered this Boston's Popcorn on our last trip to Shaw's. It with in the health food section on sale- so I thought I would give it a try. It is actually pretty good, but is your typical bagged popcorn. Definitely good for a nice added crunch to my lunch! (Don't you like my rhyming skills??)

Serving Size: 1 bag

Calories: 60

Total Fat: 2g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 100mg

Total Carbohydrate: 10g

Dietary Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 0g

Protein: 1g

And all together from above-

My lunch-time dessert was easy but yummy- a rice krispie treat!

I have to babysit tonight- so I am hoping I can squeeze in a TV workout before hand. I will most likely be eating a packed dinner while I am there.

Dinner and a movie!

2008-11-03T18:27:00.014-05:00

My evening began with some leisurely time with my couch! I relaxed and watched "Mean Girls" on DVR while working on my blog layout. My afternoon snack was a Frigo Light cheese stick and a Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut Almond Bar.

Around 5:30 I was feeling pretty damn lazy- so I got my butt up and did a 20 minute cardio kickboxing workout from ON Demand Exercise TV. It really got me going, and made me feel better even if it was only 20 minutes.

My mom had to bring my younger sister (Kelly, 12) to her concert choir rehearsal this evening. Kelly wanted to go to Panera Bread for dinner beforehand. She had to be at the school at 6:15, meaning that dinner was early for her. I wasn't feeling up to dinner so early, so I opted to stay home (this is when I did my workout). I gave my mom my order to bring back to me. I got a "U-Pick-2" 1/2 Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich (no mayo, with mustard) on sourdough bread and a 1/2 classic cafe salad (balsamic dressing on side as to not get soggy!). I chose to have an apple for my side choice. It was around 6:30 when I took my food out of the bag and I was pretty disappointed with the look of my sandwich. I normally really like this sandwich, but today I wasn't feeling it because my friendly (or not so friendly?) Panera employee forgot to put veggies on my sandwich. Plus, it looked too small. So I switched out the breads and added my own veggies to try and bulk it up. Instead of the tiny sourdough bread, I enjoyed my sandwich on two slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal Bread. The first picture is before (on Panera's bread) and the last two are the meal with my changes.

Dinner concluded with a simple dessert treat- a So Delicious Dairy-free Creamy Raspberry Bar. So delicious is right!!

Now I am off to see High School Musical 3! I am going all by myself to a kids movie, because I have a lot of friends and everything. Nah, it is just that most of my friends board at school so they cannot leave campus, but I am a day student.

Edits:

I fell asleep about 1/2 way through the movie! It was cute for what I saw of it, definitely the typical High School Musical though. Since home I have just been relaxing and being lazy. I had my usual (and fav) night time snack of a Shaw's brand light raisin english muffin spread with 1 tsp of Brummel and Brown yogurt margarine spread. Along with this I enjoyed a Yoplait Light Thick & Creamy.

Now while I know that there are many other healthier, tastier yogurts out there, I cannot seem to pull myself away from the Yoplait Thick & Creamy. I just love it and I don't know why! I have tried Fage several times, and can't figure out how to make it likable. I have not tried any other brands of Greek yogurt. If anyone has any ideas about greek yogurts, or yogurt in general, I would appreciate it!

Day one is filled with surprises!

2008-11-03T16:11:00.008-05:00

Hello and welcome to my first post!!

So I was enjoying my lunch today while catching up on blogs after getting out of school early when I thought to myself- what if I start my own blog? The idea sounded fantastic to me. Although I am a bit concerned about how much time I am going to have to keep up with my blog, I still think it would be a good thing to have to come to when I need it.

Since I had already devoured breakfast and lunch before I began the blog- here is a quick recap.

Breakfast consisted of a bowl of oatmeal made with 1/2 cup of dry oats, a tablespoon of Peter Pan Whipped Creamy Peanut Butter, along with a splash of DiVinci Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup. I normally have this for breakfast basically every morning, as it's practically the only thing I can stomach at 6AM!

Mid-morning snack at school was on-the-go. I had a Chocolate Brownie Cliff Kid Z-Bar with a mug of Diet Hot Chocolate. It hit the spot on a chilly morning!! The picture is one that I took this evening and is the exact replica of what I had. Please excuse the blurry cell phone pic!

Lunch was simple, light, and delicious- although very sodium friendly (it's okay, i've been watching my sodium lately!) I had a whole can of Campbell's Select Harvest Light Italian Style Vegetable Soup along with 1/2 Joseph's Pita cut into wedges for dipping. There is a full serving of veggies in every cup, so I am using that to justify my two-cup bowl! I also had a glass of water and diet coke, but I will explain more about my horrible habit later.

Here is a picture of the soup that I found online as a replacement, along with the pita.

My after lunch treat was 2 Hershey's Sugar Free Caramel Chocolates and a Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Jello Pudding!

The afternoon wasn't too exciting- until I found out we had a Hill Holiday!! Now most of you are probably wondering- what in the heck is that? Well 4 times a year at my school, once each during the fall and winter terms and twice during the spring, we have a surprise day off. If our headmaster puts on a hat during the school day, then basically the entire school breaks out in cheer and classes are cancelled the following day. Kids start spreading rumors about when this day is going to be, so practically everyone knew we were going to have one tomorrow anyways. I knew because I was eavesdropping on a phone conversation that the academic director was having one afternoon =). Anyways, that means tonight I get to enjoy myself without worrying about homework or waking up early! YES!